Calvert County , Maryland -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Getting out of her car , the wife of a furloughed government worker walked toward a small building full of free food .

She approached the door with her head down . An attendant asked for her name , she looked up and began to sob .

`` It 's ok , it 's not your fault , '' the volunteer said as she wrapped her arms around the crying woman .

Chesapeake Cares Food Pantry , located 30 miles from the political impasse in Washington that resulted in the shutdown , put together a food giveaway tailored to affected workers not at their jobs and not being paid .

Roughly 200 people received bags of frozen meat , canned vegetables and other staples on Monday morning .

`` These folks -LRB- furloughed government employees -RRB- do n't know how to be poor , '' said Rev. Robert Hahn , the head End Hunger in Calvert County , a consortium of food pantries in the area . `` These folks are fish out of water and they feel humiliated , like they have lost their dignity . ''

This is the second offering Hahn 's group has made to federal employees . Last week , the group passed out 2,700 pounds of food to 71 different families . And if the government shutdown continues , Hahn said he anticipates his group will continue this sort of offering .

The shutdown that began on October 1 has impacted hundreds of thousands of federal workers and contractors in the Washington region , including people at the epicenter of the partisan shutdown showdown in Congress .

Washington-area food banks have responded to an unexpected need this fall created by the shutdown , their efforts already tested by a continued , uneven economic recovery and tough job market .

Men and women were on both sides of the help on Monday in Calvert County -- those receiving and those distributing food .

Those helping out included one person who works for the Department of Justice and another employed by the Navy .

CNN agreed not to identify furloughed workers receiving food due to a combination of their embarrassment and not wanting to hurt their employer .

`` Getting paid helps , but it does n't help right now , '' said one , who acknowledged she 'll probably get paid once the shutdown ends .

Still , the woman said she is struggling to put food on the table .

Some told CNN they were living paycheck to paycheck .

`` The biggest thing -LRB- people are feeling -RRB- is fear , '' said Hahn . `` Even a lot of federal employees who know that they 're going to get their checks made up , they 're still going to be shy '' if they miss a couple of pay periods .

President Barack Obama visited a food pantry in downtown Washington on Monday where he helped make peanut butter sandwiches .

He told reporters that he stopped by Martha 's Table because many of volunteers there had been furloughed .

`` They 're here contributing and giving back to the community and I think that shows the kind of spirit that we have among all kinds of federal workers all across the country , people who dedicate their lives to public service , '' Obama said .

Hahn , who has worked for Chesapeake Church for 20 years , said many of the men and women he saw collect food on Monday were new faces who had never sought their help in the past .

While a study by Main Street showed that Calvert County was the 13th wealthiest county in the United States in 2012 , Hahn said that ranking does n't show how many `` working poor '' live in the area .

`` It 's a damn shame , '' Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley told CNN . `` It 's no fault of their own , but they find themselves now in a position of , of having to come here for help . ''

O'Malley , who attended the event , said he would recommend that `` those who for ideological reasons feel shutting down our government is a good idea '' should `` come here and see the families that are showing up for help to feed their families for the first time in their lives . ''

As volunteers passed out food , there was obvious frustration with political leaders in Washington .

Those in line lamented the fact they were expected to just go without pay .

Hahn said he had more important things to do than worry about how things will shake out on Capitol Hill .

`` I would say this to the president and Congress , your job is to solve problems , not to create problems , '' Hahn said . `` We are here solving problems . ''

CNN 's Jim Acosta contributed to this report .

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Some furloughed workers say they ca n't feed their families without help

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`` These folks -LRB- furloughed employees -RRB- do n't know how to be poor , '' said head of one food pantry

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`` It 's a damn shame , '' Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley , told CNN .